from GriefBeliefs guide to Reconciling Grief and Mourning

 

Recognize these common emotions of grief.

Families experience the pain of grief with a variety of universal or common emotional responses that are at the same time unique to the individual within the family.  Some members of the family may experience:

• Denial – “I’m sure the officer has arrived at the wrong house.”
• Disbelief – “This cannot be happening!”
• Shock – “Oh, my goodness!”
• Anger – “Why did he have to buy that motorcycle in the first place?
• Bargaining – “If he survives this accident, I’ll never nag him again!”
• Guilt – “If only I had taken the job closer to home, then we could have shared a ride to work.”
• Fear – “How will I be able to raise the children without him?”
• Confusion – “Who are all these people and why are they here at this time of day?”
• Exhaustion – “I’m so tired, but I can’t make myself stop pacing the floors and just lie down to sleep.”
• Depression – “Life will never hold any meaning for me again.”
• Acceptance – “My grief is great, but I’m learning to live with it and to appreciate the heritage he has left for me and the children.”

 

 

These are just a few of the myriad emotions experienced by families in grief. It is important to understand that people experience these emotions in an unpredictable manner – sometimes feeling up and hopeful, at other moments feeling deeply depressed, on other days coasting along and feeling virtually no emotion at all. We have often remarked that the children and teens in our grief support groups experience grief in a roller-coaster fashion – if you could draw the three dimensional ride it would even sometimes come off the page toward and away from you at the same time!  All of these emotions are a normal part of the grief and mourning process.

(from Karen’s book: Strength for the Journey)

 

Understand the emotions of grief from God’s perspective.

1. God is always with us; He comforts us. (Psalm 23:4)
2. He gives us power and he will transform and change us and we will be like him. (Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 John 3:2)
3. Jesus suffered like we do, He shares in our humanity, calls us His brothers, and frees us from fear. (Hebrews 2:9-15)
4. God strengthen us, He goes with us, and He will never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) He upholds us with His right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
5. He keeps us in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3)
6. He cares for and understands the brokenhearted; he heals the brokenhearted and binds up our wounds. (Psalm 47:3)
7. His compassions never fail and are new every morning! (Lamentations 3:21-24)
8. He can restore our joy! (Isaiah 51:11)

 

Seek to know who you are in Christ while burdened with the emotions of grief.

1. We are precious in the sight of the Lord. (Psalm 116:15)
2. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:38-39)
3. We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)
4. We are His children, we will be like Him, and we will see Him as He is! (1 John 3:2)
5. We are never alone because He goes with us and will never leave us or for sake us.(Deuteronomy 31:6)
6. Gladness and joy will overtake us and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 51:11)

 

 

Purpose to respond to God during the emotions of grief.

1. We can express our grief to God. David cried out in Psalm 31:9-10, “Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.”
2. We can trust Him and our hearts will not be troubled. (John 14:1)
3. We do not need to be afraid. (Psalm 23:4; Deuteronomy 31:6; Isaiah 41:10; John 14:1)
4. We can be confident and know that to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21-23) and He will never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
5. We can have hope because “the Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”(Lamentations 3:21 to 24; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

ALLOW ME TO BE YOUR COMPANION ON YOUR HEALING JOURNEY DURING GRIEF AND MOURNING.

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karen Lindwall-Bourg

“Achieve Levels of Success Worth Celebrating”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Founder, Karen Bourg Companies  http://karenbourg.com

*Owner, President {Inter}National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs/International Christian Mompreneur Network http://nacwe.org

*Founder, RHEMA Publishing House http://rhemapublishinghouse.com

*Founder, RHEMA Lakeside Retreat Center https://www.facebook.com/rhemaretreat/

*Founder, RHEMA Counseling Associates http://rhemacounseling.com

 

About Karen Lindwall-Bourg

Karen Lindwall-Bourg is the President of the {Inter} National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs [est. May 2010] and the new President of the International Christian Mompreneur Network [est. July 2010], both at http://nacwe.org . She and the NACWE Operations and Leadership Teams work diligently to provide
· Community
· Networking
· Education
· Missions
opportunities to Christian Women Entrepreneurs, Mompreneurs and Nanapreneurs alike all over the world!

Our Core Values are
· Community – we value Connection, Collaboration and Contribution
· Networking – we value Nurture, New relationships and New and innovative offers
· Education – we value Encouragement, Excellence and Expressiveness, and
· Missions – we value Ministry and Making a difference

Karen is wife to Fred, Mommy to 6 kids and 5 in-loves, Nana to “going-on” 12 grandchildren, and treat provider deluxe for a herd of Great Pyrenees who protect their north TX ranch! She is an entrepreneur coach, author, publisher, retreat hostess and more! Learn more about Mastermind groups and “Celebration” coaching with Karen at http://karenbourg.com.